Health Ministry to Suggest an Extension of Airport Restrictions

Chezy Levy, the Director-General of the Health Ministry, believes that a recommendation will soon be made for the extension of airport restrictions in the State of Israel. 

He recently spoke about the sensitive matter of airport restrictions. According to him, there are citizens who want the skies to open so that they can travel and visit their families overseas. On the other hand, the authorities are concerned about the newer mutations being discovered in different parts of the world, some of which pose a threat to the effects of the coronavirus Pfizer vaccine. 

Thus, the Director-General stated, the Ministry wants to limit the number of people entering and leaving the country. 

As of now, the previously proposed regulations have been implemented and will remain valid until the 20th of March. Levy believes that the Health Ministry will be recommending an extension in these already existing regulations. In his opinion, these limitations will continue to be imposed until the authorities and experts in the country are able to figure out the issue of mutations, and their ability to fight off the vaccine. 

As per the current framework of restrictions, all Israelis stuck overseas are being allowed to reenter the country. In addition, citizens who have either recovered from the disease or have been vaccinated, are allowed to leave as they please. However, the number of flights has been restricted. The Transportation Ministry is allowing only 3,000 inbound passengers to set foot in the State of Israel, in a single day. 

Moreover, those particular citizens who have neither recovered from the infection, nor have been vaccinated, need to obtain special permission. This permission will be granted by a special governmental committee. This list of citizens includes all the children in the country, who are below the age of 16 and therefore, not allowed to receive the vaccination. 

However, the Transportation Ministry was bombarded with requests to allow children to travel. Soon after the high number of applications they received, a spokesperson gave a statement regarding the issue. It said that applications for children under the age of 16 will be denied, until and unless they fall under the exceptional humanitarian criteria, which was set by the committee itself. 

The criteria includes the mandatory attendances of a funeral of a first-degree relative, receiving necessary medical treatment, as well as assisting a first-degree relative who cannot obtain help from anyone else. 

These restrictions are scheduled to expire on the 20th of March, only three days before the most-awaited Election Day in the country. The expiry will also take place a week before the Passover, which is the time when various Israelis either travel for vacation purposes or visit family residing abroad. 

Levy revealed that the relevant authorities have been trying their best to identify the newer mutations popping up all over the world. They are trying to conduct a genetic sequencing of the disease of the people who are infected, especially those entering the country from abroad.